Optimization Module

Optimization Module

This page shows screen-shots of the graphic user interface for the Optimization Module. It shows the information a user will input when using the downloaded tool.

The graphic user interface of the optimization module allows the user to select between two commercially high-value aquaculture species: rainbow trout or Atlantic salmon.

The graphic user interface allows the user to input the percentage of fish meal and fish oil they wish to replace in the optimized diet.

The graphic user interface allows the user to select a metric to minimize (environmental impact or economic conversion ratio). The software minimizes the selected metric subject to growth and performance constraints.

The optimized diet is also subject to nutritional constraints so that the optimized diet must have the equivalent energy, protein, and limiting amino acids (i.e., lysine, methionine, and threonine) as the reference diet for the selected species. The software computes the optimized diet based on algorithms that calculate the objective function subject to the aforementioned constraints. Furthermore, the software computes the Feed Conversion Ratio of the optimized diet based on algorithms (conditional statements and regression analyses based on feed trial experiments).

The database information used by the optimization module includes environmental impact data (global warming potential, water use, land use, marine eutrophication potential, freshwater eutrophication potential, and biotic resource use), market price data, and nutrition data for 26 different ingredients for rainbow trout and 17 different ingredients for Atlantic salmon used in the optimization module.

The graphic user interface provides a data visualization of the optimized diet of the user metric (i.e., environmental impact or economic conversion ratio) for the selected salmonid species, and allows the user to export the graph information. An example of the graph for Atlantic Salmon at 50 percent replacement of fish meal and fish oil is provided below:

Ingredients used in the optimization module for Rainbow Trout include:

  1. Fish Meal
  2. Corn Gluten Meal
  3. Wheat Flour
  4. Fish Oil
  5. Wheat Gluten Meal
  6. Soy Oil
  7. Corn Oil
  8. Canola Oil
  9. Poultry Byproduct Meal
  10. Blood Meal
  11. Soy Meal
  12. Nanno Meal
  13. Single Cell Protein
  14. Soldierfly Meal
  15. Mealworm Meal
  16. Yeast
  17. Macroalgae
  18. Soy Protein Concentrate
  19. Schizochytrium Oil
  20. Schizochytrium Whole
  21. Pea Protein Concentrate
  22. Fava Bean
  23. Feather Meal
  24. Canola Meal
  25. Wheat Meal
  26. Wheat Bran
  27. Corn Starch
  28. Wheat Starch
  29. Barley
  30. Wheat Middlings
  31. Corn Meal
  32. Palm Oil
  33. Potato Starch

Ingredients used in the optimization module for Atlantic Salmon include:

  1. Fish Meal
  2. Corn Gluten Meal
  3. Wheat Flour
  4. Fish Oil
  5. Wheat Gluten Meal
  6. Soy Oil
  7. Corn Oil
  8. Canola Oil
  9. Soy Meal
  10. Nanno Meal
  11. Single Cell Protein
  12. Soldierfly Meal
  13. Yeast
  14. Pea Protein Concentrate
  15. Feather Meal
  16. Soy Protein Concentrate
  17. Wheat Meal
  18. Poultry Byproduct Meal
  19. Wheat Starch
  20. Fava Bean
  21. Corn Starch
  22. Palm Oil
  23. Potato Starch
  24. Schizochytrium Oil

      25. Learn more about the database used by the optimization module here

About Us

Our research team embraces an ecological aquaculture approach to help shift aquaculture to a sustainability path,
and flip problems into opportunities for socio-environmental benefits and innovation.

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